7 U.S. Code § 16a - Service fees and National Futures Association study

(a) Development and implementation of plan for user fees; report to and approval by Congressional committees

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission may develop and implement a plan to charge and collect reasonable fees to cover the estimated cost of regulating transactions under the jurisdiction of the Commission. However, prior to implementing such a plan, the Commission shall report its intention to do so to the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The Commission shall include in its report the feasibility and desirability of collecting such fees. Any plan developed under this section shall not be implemented until approved by the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Fees collected under any plan approved under this section shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States as miscellaneous receipts.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission shall submit to Congress a report containing the results of a study of the regulatory experience of the National Futures Association for the period beginning January 1, 1983 and ending September 30, 1985. The report shall be submitted not later than January 1, 1986. The report shall include (but not to be limited to) the following—

(1)the extent to which the National Futures Association has fully implemented the program provided in the rules approved by the Commission under section 17(p) and (q) of the Commodity Exchange Act [7 U.S.C. 21(p), (q)] and the effectiveness of the operation of such program;

(2)the actual and projected cost savings to the Federal Government, if any, resulting from operations of the National Futures Association;

(3)the actual and projected costs which the Commission and the public would have incurred if the Association had not undertaken self-regulatory responsibility for certain areas under the Commission’s jurisdiction;

(4)problem areas, if any, encountered by the Association;

(5)the nature of the working relationship between the Association and the Commission;

(6)an assessment of the actual and projected efficiencies the Commission has achieved or expects to be achieved as a result of the continuing regulatory activities of the Association; and

(7)the immediate and projected capabilities of the Commission at the time of submission of the study to turn its attention to more immediate problems of regulation, as a result of the activities of the Association.

Nothing in this section shall limit the authority of the Commission to promulgate, after notice and opportunity for hearing, a schedule of appropriate fees to be charged for services rendered and activities and functions performed by the Commission in conjunction with its administration and enforcement of the Commodity Exchange Act [7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.]: Provided, That the fees for any specified service or activity or function shall not exceed the actual cost thereof to the Commission.

The Commodity Exchange Act, referred to in subsec. (c), is act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 369, 42 Stat. 998, as amended, which is classified generally to chapter 1 (§ 1 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section
1 of this title and Tables.

Codification

Section was enacted as part of the Futures Trading Act of 1978, and not as part of the Commodity Exchange Act which comprises this chapter.

“(a) Study.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study to determine whether—

“(1) it is feasible to fund some or all of the enforcement and market surveillance activities of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, as required by the amendments to the Commodity Exchange Act made by the Futures Trading Practices Act of 1992 [see Short Title of 1992 Amendment note set out under section
1 of this title], through the imposition of an assessment on commodity futures and options transactions executed pursuant to the Commodity Exchange Act [7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.]; and

“(2) a program of assessment-based funding for some or all of such enforcement and market surveillance activities would better provide resources to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to enable the Commission to—

“(A) protect the interests of market users (including hedgers and speculators), producers of commodities traded on the futures markets, and the general public; and

“(B) maintain and enhance the credibility of such futures and options markets.

“(b) Report.—Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 28, 1992], the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report containing the Comptroller General’s determinations pursuant to subsection (a), together with any appropriate recommendations for the implementation of such a program of assessment-based funding for some or all of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s enforcement and market surveillance activities.”